Ready for anti-American crowds in Moose Jaw
It’s an interesting time for a team from the United States to be heading into a world curling championship in Canada.
Amidst the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States, Team USA knows they’re not likely to be a crowd favorite at the 2025 men’s world championship in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Regardless of what that energy looks like, skip Korey Dropkin and his team are going to try and embrace it.
“We’re going to enjoy whether we’re booed or whether we’re cheered,” said Dropkin, who opens play Sat. Mar. 29 against Italy’s Joël Retornaz.
He quickly added, “We’re probably not going to get cheered.”
In our interview, Dropkin referenced the high emotions that ran through the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off last month, won by Canada in overtime at TD Garden in Boston.
Over 16 million people in both countries watched the final game.
Team Dropkin—which includes Andrew Stopera, Mark Fenner and Tom Howell—don’t face Canada until the final round-robin draw on Friday night, Apr. 4.
World Curling schedulers couldn’t have planned it any better.
Dropkin, who made a fantastic shot to win the U.S. title in January, said the team has talked about “embracing the boos” particularly when they play Team Canada.
“Instead of thinking too much about it, just smirk it off, and appreciate the fact that you’ve got a crowd there cheering for their favorite team,” said Dropkin.
“That’s all part of the experience and part of sport.”
Third Tom Howell noted this isn’t the first time has competed in an environment where they might not be the crowd favorite.
“It’s kind of become this thing we accept most times we go to a curling event, whether it be a Slam or worlds in the U.S.,” said Howell. “It’s mostly Canadian fans.”
The environment they’re entering is also a world championship with Olympic qualification at stake. The USA men’s program currently ranks seventh going into Moose Jaw—one of the countries ahead of them, Italy, are confirmed as host nation.
It will be Andrew Stopera’s first world championship since juniors. While he’d like to admit it will feel just like any other tournament, he said he wouldn’t be shocked to find himself with “a little more chutzpah, more juice” when he first steps on the ice.
He’ll be able to rely on his teammates who were all part of Team USA at the Las Vegas worlds in 2022. Lead Mark Fenner knows it’s a long week and stressed the significance of settling in.
“Once you get the first game or two, you just get in your routine, and you continue to stick with it,” said Fenner.
The 30-year-old spoke of the importance of not getting lost in the emotions of one game—and focusing on the playoff goal and the hopes of catching a little lightning. They’ll have plenty to grab if they can harness the electricity in Saskatchewan.
“We’re expecting it to be packed to the gills,” shared Howell. “It’s going to be fun. We look forward to the noise … we’re going to use that energy to our advantage.”
Team Dropkin seems prepared to acknowledge and embrace the noise, much as Brad Jacobs did when facing boo-birds at Brad Gushue’s recent hometown Slam.
Crowd noise was discussed a lot that week.
Dropkin recalled a moment from his history with Gushue, during the 2022 world semifinal in Vegas. Coming out of the fifth end break, USA was down one point without the hammer. As the players took their place in the home-end house, Canadian and USA fans began chanting “CAN-A-DA!” and “U-S-A!” louder and louder.
“It brought me goosebumps,” said Korey. “That’s like the moments you dream about being in the middle of.”
More memorable moments await in Moose Jaw, during one of the most tenuous times in Canada-USA relations. Team Dropkin is ready to enjoy those moments, cheers or boos.
“Hopefully they will be booing us because we’re going to love that too,” said Dropkin. “And we’ll be out there making shots.”